Dear Dudley Dursley
by Abbl2
Summary: Amidst a tragedy for the Dursley's, Harry and his family come to pay their respects and apologies are given on both sides. Short, sweet reconnection fic between Harry and Dudley


Number 4 Privet Drive hadn't changed a bit in the twenty years since Harry Potter last been there during his childhood and his summer holidays. The gardens and lawns were still perfectly trimmed; the houses were still identical, everything was neatly painted and eerily spotless. Harry couldn't decide what made him come; was it to confront old insecurities or perhaps because his children had been asking questions recently – questions he couldn't just answer with words. He thought it would be better to come from him rather than from others. So, when he'd heard from old Mrs. Figg that Petunia Dursley by whom he had been raised had recently passed away and that it was an open reception at her son Dudley's house (which just so happened to be his old house), he decided he'd take his children and his wife for a visit to pay his respects. It's not that he really cared for his aunt, but she was his mother's sister and had taken him in. It was because of that he'd maintained the blood protection his mother had given him when she sacrificed her life for him, until he turned seventeen of course. After that he was on his own, but living in her and Vernon's house for 16 years had meant the difference between his life and death. He could be grateful for that. And so, here he was, back at his childhood residence all these years later, but this time with his loving family by his side.

His children Lily, James and Albus had been looking forward to this for days. His godson Teddy Lupin had even decided to come, even though he had moved out of the Potter residence ages ago. He knew all about the abuse his godfather had suffered at the hands of his relatives; Harry shared everything with his godson. His wife Ginny, who had never met his family (aside from seeing them at the train station when they picked him up from Hogwarts on summer holidays) had also been pleased to hear that he was planning on going to the reception, after hearing about them from her brothers and knowing about his childhood only after they had been dating for many years. She longed for many years to give these people a piece of her mind, but she knew that the death of a loved one was no time to do it. She promised Harry that she wouldn't make a scene.

So after years and years of putting it off, Harry Potter was walking down the street towards the house that held many memories of his youth, most of them not so great, having Apparated his family just out of sight from any of the neighbors. The six of them marched up the Dursley's driveway and to the front door. Before knocking, Harry hesitated. How would Dudley and Vernon receive him after all of these years? It's not like he put any stock in their opinions of him; after all, if he had, he would have grown up sorely disappointed, for all three of his relatives hated him with a passion. However, someone they loved had just died, and Harry knew very much how that felt. It's not that Petunia was ever a pleasant woman, but he could sympathize with his Uncle and cousin. Would seeing him after all of these years prove to be more difficult because of their loss? Harry was considering just leaving and going home, but Ginny and Teddy made up his mind for him. They both rapped on the front door loudly. There was no turning back.

A few tense moments passed before a short, dark-haired woman answered the door. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was red from crying, and Harry identified with her pain almost immediately. She looked up at him, her red eyes narrowed as though accusing him for being dry eyed.

"Who are you?" she asked curtly.

"My name is Harry Potter. I am Petunia and Vernon's nephew coming to pay my respects, and these people are my wife, children and godson," he said, gesturing to his family. The woman glared at them all in turn, and paused to glare extra hard at Teddy, who was sporting neon blue hair. Harry luckily had told his family to dress appropriately, and they were all wearing black. He peered inside, but could see no one else in the hallway. "May I come in?"

The women looked as though she was about to refuse, but she grudgingly stepped aside and allowed the family access. With mumbled _'thank you's'_ the family of six made their way into the interior of the house. Harry still knew his way around even after all this time, and paused by the cupboard under the stairs that used to be his bedroom. His children, unaware of why their father was stopping by this particular cupboard urged him to move, but Ginny and Teddy gave him a knowing look and glanced at the slanted door. When he caught the woman glaring at him, he moved quickly, not wanting to give her the wrong impression. They moved into the living room where everyone else was congregated. All talk was hushed as soon as the little group entered, which wasn't saying much because there had been very little talk to begin with. The room looked exactly the same, with its badly matched furniture and odd wallpaper. Harry quickly caught a glance of old Mrs. Figg before his view was obscured by a very large purple walrus.

The walrus, who just so happened to be his uncle, was staring furiously at his nephew as though daring him to step one more foot in the place he used to call home. His hair was much thinner and greyer then Harry remembered, but he was still very large and his mustache, thought obviously dyed brown, was as prominent as ever. He noted silently that his uncle's neck had not elongated since he had last seen him; in fact it seemed to have moved even closer to his shoulders. Old age would do that to a person, Harry supposed.

Vernon began sputtering. He opened his mouth several times, but seemed to rethink what he was about to say and shut it. Their confrontation seemed to be going nowhere, so Harry broke the silence.

"Hello Uncle Vernon," he said as pleasantly as he could. "I know you don't want to hear it, but am so sorry for your loss. I know Aunt Petunia meant a great deal to you." Harry resisted the urge to add, "_Though it's not like you cared about anyone else."_ Vernon, still at a loss for words sputtered for a moment, and then finally spoke.

"_How dare you!"_ he said quietly. Then he seemed to gain more courage, because he shouted, "HOW DARE YOU ENTER THIS HOUSE AGAIN AFTER EVERYTHING YOU PUT YOUR AUNT AND I THROUGH! HOW DARE YOU DISHONER PETUNIA'S MEMORY BY COMING HERE! OUT! GET OUT OF HERE, AND DON'T EVER LET ME SEE YOUR SORRY FACE AGAIN BOY!"

Harry, who was used to his uncle's shouting, just raised an eyebrow. "In case you haven't noticed _Uncle_ Vernon, I am no longer a boy. I grew up a long time ago. And Petunia was my mother's sister. I have just come to pay my respects, and then I will leave with my family." Suddenly he heard a vaguely familiar voice coming from the kitchen, although it sounded older and was distraught with grief.

"Let him stay father," it said. Harry turned and saw none other than Dudley Dursley coming to his defense. Harry smiled at his cousin.

"Hello Dudley," he said. Dudley looked at him for a moment, and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Hello Harry."

His cousin had changed dramatically since their time growing up together. Where once would have stood a fat, whiny, bullying overgrown pig now stood a tall, proud, albeit still a little chubby, grown man. Dudley looked a lot more mature and reserved than he used to. His eyes too were red from crying, although that was understandable, given what had just happened. All in all, age had served his cousin well.

Vernon just sputtered some more. "Dudley… Why… What?" He narrowed his eyes at his son. "Don't you remember what this boy put us through? A year and a half in hiding-"

"That was only because he wanted to protect us," said Dudley fiercely. "And I for one am grateful. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn't given us safety."

Harry felt strangely pleased that his cousin was defending him. This had never happened. Maybe his cousin had matured in more ways than just his appearance.

Vernon just gaped at his son. Apparently, he couldn't fathom why his son was defending Harry either. However, Number 4 Privet Drive was apparently Dudley's house now, so he no longer had any authority over who was allowed to come and who wasn't. But his look made it very clear that if it were his decision, Harry and his lot would be thrown out faster than he could say _'magic.'_ Instead he took to his old favorite pastime: finding as many things wrong with his nephew as possible. He glared at Harry's family.

"Who are they?" he asked, not at all kindly. Harry smiled, he was proud of his family. None of them had spoken throughout this whole encounter. They seemed to feel that this was a private matter between Harry and his uncle. He took Ginny's hand.

"This is my wife, Ginny," he said. Then he smiled mischievously. "You met her father and a few of her brothers. Remember, I was fourteen and they were taking me for the rest of the summer?" His uncle grimaced at the memory. Harry glanced at Dudley, who looked a bit alarmed, as though remembering how his tongue had been stretched several feet and turned purple during this encounter. But he was smiling faintly, and Harry continued with the introductions.

"The one with the blue hair is my godson, Teddy Lupin," he said, gesturing to Teddy, who smiled widely and waved at Harry's uncle. Vernon did not wave back. "And these are my two sons, James and Albus and my daughter Lily." Vernon glared at his great niece and nephew's.

"And do they go to… your school? Are they learning that, that thing?"

Harry laughed. "Yes, they do go to 'my school' and they are learning 'that thing.' Lily just started last September." His uncle grunted.

"What about those boys? What about your godson. Are they… like you?" Harry smirked and nodded.

"Yes, they are like me." Harry gazed at Teddy for a moment. "Well, sort of." His uncle didn't seem to notice Harry's hesitation, because he just growled and stomped away without another word.

The room was still jarringly silent. There were now about 20 people in the, now crowded, living room. Everyone was still staring at the strange group that had just been interrogated by the late Petunia's husband, and their curiosity was anything but satisfied. Some people who knew him as a boy were here, and they were all glaring at him with scrutinizing disapproval, as though they were positive he hadn't changed a bit from the boy who had supposedly gone to a school for criminal and unstable boys in his youth. Harry supposed now that everyone thought his children were "criminal" and "unstable" based on the questions Vernon had just asked him, but he could really care less about what these people thought of him and his family. They weren't here to impress.

"Well, that was… interesting?" Ginny muttered to her husband. Harry smiled.

"I told you that my uncle wasn't into, well, our kind," Harry replied.

"Your cousin doesn't seem so bad though," James said, indicating to Dudley Dursley who was trying to catch Harry's eye. Harry looked back at him. Dudley indicated that Harry and his family should follow him into the kitchen.

"I suppose he's changed," Harry said, and then he and his family followed Dudley into the kitchen. On his way, the whispers started again. Those who knew him or knew of him as a child were pointing and making small gestures to their families and whispering as though he couldn't hear them. In the corner of the room he saw a man with a pointed face that looked very much like a rodent talking animatedly to his two boys, who also had upturned noses and small, beady eyes. He was making fist motions, and Harry could only assume that this was Dudley's old friend Piers Polkiss and his family. Piers used to hold kids hands behind their back as Dudley punched them. Well, not everyone had changed around here.

He saw his cousin sitting at the table holding hands with that woman who opened the door for the Potters that Harry assumed was his wife. As they walked in, Dudley looked up.

"It's good to see you again Harry," he said. Dudley stood up and looked Harry over, extending his hand. "You've changed."

Harry smiled, and repeated the gesture. "I'm not the only one. Finally decided to lay off the sweets I see."

Dudley chuckled as they shook hands. "I suppose I have." Then, his demeanor became serious. "Look, Harry, I'm sorry I haven't been in touch with you all these years." Harry shook his head.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I've been just as distant." But Dudley jumped in quickly.

"Yeah, but you have an excuse," he exclaimed, gesturing to his family. "I guess I've just been nervous. I was afraid you'd hate me for how I treated you when we were kids."

Harry laughed loudly at this. "We were kids! Sure, I didn't think to highly of you all these years, but you've obviously changed since then."

Dudley nodded. "It's just that, well, when we were in hiding, I heard what you did. I heard how you suffered at that school, and I heard how you defeated the evil wizard or whatever. And then when you should've gotten a break from those horrible things, there I was, making your life hell from day one. I guess I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry. For all the things I did, for all the things I said, for everything. I was a stupid prick. Can you forgive me?"

Harry smiled at his cousin. "Yes, you were a prick. But I didn't make it any easier. I guess we just sort of fell into a pattern and we couldn't get out of it. Of course I forgive you."

Harry didn't recall ever seeing Dudley smile so big. "Thank you Harry. You don't know how much that means to me to hear you say that." He sat down at the table next to his annoyed looking wife. "Sorry about dad, but you know how he is." Harry chuckled.

"Yes I do," he exclaimed. "Now there's someone who hasn't changed a bit." Dudley nodded, and then his face dropped into a melancholy expression.

"Mum was going to divorce him, you know," he said. "They got in this big fight… well, they've been fighting a lot recently. Mum threatened to just pack up and leave him. Well, needless to say dad didn't like that much."

Harry went and sat next to his cousin. "I am so sorry for what has happened. These things are terrible." Dudley just waved him off.

"It was her time," he explained. "Or at least, that's what the doctors kept saying." He turned to look at Harry. "She got better, you know, from how she was before. She said she was sorry for ever treating you so terribly, seeing as how you were her dead sister's son after all, though I suppose now it was just to get a rise out of dad."

"It gets better, you know," said Ginny, startling both Harry and Dudley, who seemed to have momentarily forgotten she was there. "The death of a loved one I mean. It hurts for awhile, but then it gets easier. Or at least it was like that when I lost my brother."

Dudley smiled at her through teary eyes. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"It's ok to hurt though," Teddy burst in. "Harry has to tell me that all the time. It isn't weakness to feel pain."

"That's right," said Harry proudly. Softly to Dudley he explained, "Ginny's brother and Teddy's parents were killed the same night I defeated Voldemort. It was a heartbreaking loss for everyone, but we move on."

Dudley nodded, wiping tears from his eyes. "Thank you all," he said. "It means so much to hear that from all of you. I hope she would've appreciated it, but…"

"We understand," said Harry."

Suddenly, Vernon's purple face peeked into the kitchen, glared at Harry and shot back out.

"I think we've overstayed our welcome," muttered James. Harry stood up.

"James is right," he said to Dudley. "I don't think your father appreciates our visit as much as you do. We had better be going."

Dudley looked disappointed. "But you'll stay in touch? Now that you know we're still here?"

Harry smiled. "Of course we will. I look forward to hearing from you, and your wife. We can do some real catching up."

Dudley nodded, but didn't say anything else as he showed them through the house. The occupants continued to glare at the Potters, but Harry caught a small smile from Mrs. Figg as they went out the door. They walked until they were out of sight from the house, and then Harry, Ginny and Teddy Apparated the Potter kids back to Grimould Place.

For the rest of the day, Harry felt a new lightness to his heart, and that evening, when Ginny came into his study to kiss him goodnight, she caught a glimpse of what he was working on, which left a smile on her face, even as she slept by her husband's side. In her mind's eye she could still see the heading.

_Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging_

_Dear Dudley Dursley,_

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**A/N: I found this in my folder on my computer half done, and I got a burst of inspiration to finish it. hope you liked it :) please review and let me know what you think**


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